All amounts expressed in US dollars

Barrick reported adjusted net earnings of $127 million ($0.11 per share)1, and a net loss of $83 million ($0.07 per share), in the first quarter.

The company generated $181 million in free cash flow1 in the first quarter, marking four consecutive quarters of positive free cash flow. First quarter EBITDA was $696 million1.

Gold production in the first quarter was 1.28 million ounces at all-in sustaining costs (AISC) of $706 per ounce1.

We reduced all-in sustaining costs by 24 percent and cash costs by 14 percent compared to the first quarter of 2015, reflecting the impact of ongoing operating and capital cost savings initiatives as well as lower fuel prices and foreign exchange gains.

All-in sustaining cost guidance for 2016 has been reduced to $760-$810 per ounce, down from our original guidance of $775-$825 per ounce. We continue to expect gold production of 5.0-5.5 million ounces for the year.

We have reduced total debt by $842 million year-to-date, and we remain on track to achieve our $2 billion debt reduction target for the year.

During the quarter, we established a Growth Group, comprised of Rob Krcmarov, Catherine Raw and Kevin Thomson, to develop and advance strategies that will grow free cash flow per share over the long-term.
TORONTO, April 26, 2016 — Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:ABX)(TSX:ABX) (Barrick or the company) today reported adjusted net earnings of $127 million ($0.11 per share) for the first quarter, and a net loss of $83 million ($0.07 per share). The net loss for the quarter primarily reflects the impact of one-time foreign currency losses. First quarter free cash flow was $181 million and EBITDA was $696 million.

Production in the first quarter was 1.28 million ounces of gold at all-in sustaining costs of $706 per ounce. Cash costs were $553 per ounce1. We continue to expect full-year production of 5.0-5.5 million ounces of gold at lower all-in sustaining costs of $760-$810 per ounce.

Our operations performed well in the first quarter as we began to deliver on our 2016 priorities, including progress on lowering our free cash flow breakeven gold price to $1,000 per ounce, reducing total debt by $2 billion, implementing Best-in-Class to improve efficiency and productivity across all operations, and maintaining strict capital discipline.

STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

After a year of renewal that laid the foundation to create long-term value for our owners, every action we take is focused on one overarching objective: growing free cash flow per share. We are doing this through the pursuit of three strategic goals. The first is a profound commitment to building partnerships of real depth and trust with host governments, local communities, NGOs, indigenous people, and others. The second goal is to produce the leading margins in the industry by operating in a way that is gold-price agnostic. Whatever the gold price, we are constantly pushing ourselves to reduce our costs by being first in productivity and efficiency. That means a continuous, relentless cycle of improvement and innovation, such that we should weather gold price volatility better than any other miner, while growing free cash flow per share over the long-term. The third goal is superior portfolio management. We measure our production in quality, not quantity. While we produce fewer ounces than we have in recent years, we are generating significantly more free cash flow per share. We will manage our portfolio to grow our cash margin over growing ounces, and we will assess existing and new opportunities, both internal and external, with that goal in mind.

RESTORING A STRONG BALANCE SHEET

Strengthening our balance sheet remains one of our top priorities. In 2016, we intend to reduce our total debt by at least $2 billion by drawing on our existing cash balance, delivering free cash flow from operations, selling additional non-core assets, and creating new joint ventures and partnerships.

So far this year, we have reduced our total debt by $842 million, representing 42 percent of our debt reduction target for the year. Since the start of 2015, we have reduced our total debt by $3.95 billion, or roughly 30 percent. This is expected to reduce our interest payments by approximately $180 million on an annualized basis.

The company's liquidity position is strong and continues to improve, underpinned by stronger free cash flow generation across the business, and modest near-term debt repayment obligations. At the end of the first quarter, Barrick had a consolidated cash balance of approximately $2.3 billion2. The company has less than $200 million in debt due before 2018, and about $5 billion of our outstanding debt of $9.1 billion does not mature until after 20323.

In the medium term, we aim to reduce our debt to below $5 billion. Philosophically, our goal is to have no debt at all. We will continue to pursue debt reduction with discipline, taking only those actions that make sense for the business, on terms we consider favorable to our shareholders.

FINANCIAL DISCUSSION

Free cash flow for the first quarter was $181 million, marking four consecutive quarters of positive free cash flow after a prolonged period of negative free cash flow. This reflects our driving focus on maximizing free cash flow through greater capital discipline, improved operational efficiency, and stronger cost management.

The company generated $696 million of EBITDA in the first quarter compared to $793 million in the prior year period. First quarter adjusted net earnings were $127 million ($0.11 per share) compared to $62 million ($0.05 per share) in the prior year period. Higher adjusted net earnings compared to the prior-year period were driven by lower cash costs, higher sales volumes (excluding the impact of divested sites) as well as lower exploration and evaluation costs, in part reflecting lower spending at Pascua-Lama. The net loss for the quarter was $83 million ($0.07 per share) compared to net earnings of $57 million ($0.05 per share) in the prior year period. Lower net earnings primarily reflect the impact of lower production as a result of asset sales completed in the second half of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016, combined with lower realized prices.

Significant adjusting items (net of tax and non-controlling interest effects) in first quarter 2016 include:

$119 million in foreign currency translation losses, including deferred currency translation losses released as a result of the disposal and reorganization of certain Australian entities, and unrealized foreign currency translation losses primarily related to the devaluation of the Argentine Peso on VAT receivables;

$26 million in losses on the extinguishment of debt; and

$17 million adjustment reflecting the impact of a decrease in the discount rate used to calculate the provision for environment remediation at our closed mines.
Despite lower gold prices, operating cash flow was $451 million compared to $316 million in the prior year period, reflecting the impact of lower energy and fuel prices, as well as the impact of reduced labor and contracting costs, and other operational efficiencies driven by Best-in-Class.

OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS

Our over-arching objective as a business is to grow our free cash flow per share in any foreseeable gold price environment. In support of this objective, we intend to achieve and maintain industry-leading margins by improving the productivity and efficiency of our operations. This means a continuous, relentless cycle of improvement and innovation underpinned by our recently launched Best-in-Class program. Our aspiration is to achieve all-in sustaining costs below $700 per ounce by 2019.

We are making progress. In the first quarter of 2016, Barrick produced 1.28 million ounces of gold at all-in sustaining costs of $706 per ounce, compared to 1.39 million ounces at all-in sustaining costs of $927 per ounce in the prior year period. When excluding in the impact of divested mines, gold production for the quarter actually increased, driven by higher production at Cortez, Goldstrike, and Pueblo Viejo.

Cash costs were $553 per ounce in the first quarter of 2016, compared to $642 per ounce in the first quarter of 2015. This represents a 24 percent reduction in all-in sustaining costs, and a 14 percent reduction in cash costs, compared to first quarter of 2015. These savings were driven by the impact of ongoing cost savings initiatives, including lower sustaining capital spending, and lower operating costs. First quarter costs also benefited from lower fuel prices and foreign exchange gains, primarily associated with the devaluation of the Argentine peso.

We continue to expect full-year gold production of 5.0-5.5 million ounces. We have reduced our all-in sustaining cost guidance for 2016 to $760-$810 per ounce, down from our original guidance of $775-$825 per ounce, reflecting the impact of lower fuel costs, favorable foreign exchange rates, and early Best-in-Class productivity and efficiency initiatives. We have also lowered the top end of our capital expenditure guidance, now expected to be $1.35-$1.55 billion, adjusted from our original guidance of $1.35-$1.65 billion.

As we continue to embed Best-in-Class across the portfolio, we expect to identify additional savings opportunities over the course of the year.

Gold First Quarter 2016 Current 2016 Guidance Original 2016 Guidance
Production (000s of ounces)(4) 1,280 5,000-5,500 5,000-5,500
AISC ($per ounce) 706 760-810 775-825
Cash costs ($per ounce) 553 540-580 550-590
Copper
Production (millions of pounds)(4) 111 370-410 370-410
AISC ($per pound) 1.97 1.95-2.25 2.05-2.35
C1 cash costs ($per pound)(1) 1.47 1.35-1.65 1.45-1.75
Total Capital Expenditures ($millions)(5) 215 1,350-1,550 1,350-1,650

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